PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – Governor Terry McAuliffe wants Virginians to be ready in the case of a hurricane. He was in Hampton Roads Friday afternoon to give an update on the commonwealth’s preparations plan.

Governor McAuliffe and other state leaders spoke at the U.S. Coast Guard Base in Portsmouth Friday about focused evacuations, how new technology helps for better planning in the most critical areas and how state emergency managers are getting ready for the storm.

He urged residents to download the free Ready Virginia App to help with planning, and to get instant information during an emergency.

“You can send a text immediately to everyone you have designated as an emergency contact :28 to let your loved ones know you are safe or you’re coming to see them or may need some type of help,” McAuliffe said.

The state’s top executive was also present, Rear Adm. Stephen Metruck, commander of the 5th Coast Guard District, with a proclamation in recognition of the U.S. Coast Guard’s 225th birthday, which the service is celebrating Aug. 4.

DANVILLE, Va. (AP) — A federal judge says Virginia can ban the Confederate flag from any specialty license plates the state issues in the future but made no decision on existing tags.

U.S. District Judge Jackson L. Kiser said after a hearing Friday that he will set aside a 2001 injunction that allowed the image of the Confederate flag on vanity plates honoring the Sons of ConfederateVeterans.

He did not rule on whether the state can revoke the approximately 1,600 Confederate flag plates already issued. That matter will be addressed in an official order to be filed later.

The Virginia attorney general’s office asked Kiser to dissolve the injunction after Gov. Terry McAuliffe said in June that he would move to have the plates phased out. The Sons of Confederate Veterans opposed the move.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The former Virginia governor told The Associated Press earlier this month that he would announce his candidacy in early August. On Wednesday, he filed the necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission.

Gilmore, a former Army intelligence officer, completed one term as governor in 2002. He joins a robust presidential field that also includes former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, celebrity businessman Donald Trump and former technology CEO Carly Fiorina.

The Democratic governor sent a letter to legislative leaders Tuesday asking them to work together in a nonpartisan and transparent way to redraw Virginia’s congressional maps ahead of a court-ordered special session on redistricting set for Aug. 17.

A 2-1 ruling in June by a panel of judges directed the General Assembly to draw new boundaries by Sept. 1 to correct a 2012 redistricting plan the court found used race as the predominant factor in drawing boundaries.

State Republicans have asked that the special session be postponed while that decision is appealed.

WASHINGTON (AP/WAVY) — Two stealthily recorded videos show Planned Parenthood officials discussing how they provide aborted fetal organs for research. The videos have put the group and its Democratic allies on the defensive.

It’s unclear how long the political damage may last or whether Planned Parenthood has broken federal law — as abortion foes contend.

What is clear is that Republicans and anti-abortion groups are giving no signs of letting the issue fade quickly.

Protestors stood outside Planned Parenthood locations in more than 50 cities across the country Tuesday, including Virginia Beach, as part of the #WomenBetrayed movement. They are calling for Congress to defund Planned Parenthood.

One protestor told 10 On Your Side, “It makes me angry actually, because I should have the right to say no. I don’t support abortion, I don’t support the selling of baby parts. I don’t want my money going to an organization that in my heart I consider to be evil.”

Nearly 75 showed up to the peaceful protest in Virginia Beach. They held signs and prayed.

Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William Howell (R-Stafford) and House Republican leaders held a press conference call at 2 p.m. to discuss this latest Planned Parenthood video.

President of the Family Foundation of Virginia Victoria Cobb released the following statement:

These disturbing videos are revealing the true nature of the $1 billion abortion industry, its drive for profit and its complete lack of compassion for unborn human life or the women they claim to serve. We again call on Governor McAuliffe to immediately suspend contracts with Planned Parenthood and to remove from the Virginia Board of Health his two appointees that have affiliations with Planned Parenthood, Dr. Wendy Klein, who is associated with the Richmond Planned Parenthood facility, and Linda Hines, a former member of the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood’s board of directors. Any fair-minded person who actually watches these videos and listens to the Planned Parenthood representatives in their own words can come to no other conclusion but that Planned Parenthood’s actions are not only potentially illegal but simply inhumane. The videos have shifted the national conversation about abortion to what actually happens to the bodies of babies aborted, Planned Parenthood’s worst nightmare. No amount of well-funded public relations spin by Planned Parenthood can cover up the realities of these videos.

Anti-abortion activists, under the banner of the previously obscure Center for Medical Progress, released two videos secretly recorded in 2014 and 2015 by people posing as buyers of fetal tissue.

One video shows their conversation with Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Planned Parenthood’s senior director of medical services; the other is with Dr. Mary Gatter, one of the organization’s medical directors.

In both videos, the Planned Parenthood officials discuss the amounts the group charges to provide the organs and the abortion procedures used to obtain the organs.

Abortion opponents say the videos show that Planned Parenthood is illegally harvesting and selling the organs. Planned Parenthood says it has done nothing wrong and that the videos were deceptively edited to support extremists’ false claims.

___

THE POLITICAL PROBLEM

The business-like way the Planned Parenthood officials are seen discussing abortions, at times in grisly terms, has people from all camps wincing.

Planned Parenthood’s president, Cecile Richards, has apologized for the “tone and statements.” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he has seen no indication that the organization broke federal laws, but that “should be looked into.” Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., said Democrats will not abandon their support for women’s reproductive rights, but “nor are we going to defend the indefensible.”

Abortion foes view the video as a political boon.

“When the curtain is drawn aside and people get glimpse of what the argument is about, at the actual brutality of abortion, yes, it helps pro-life candidates,” said Douglas Johnson, top lobbyist for the National Right to Life Committee.

Some Republicans warn against going too far by escalating the fight beyond Planned Parenthood itself. Polls show more Americans prefer abortion rights to banning abortion, and some Republicans have stumbled badly on the issue, including comments about “legitimate rape” by defeated GOP Senate candidate Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri.

“What you don’t want to get into is the pro-life versus pro-choice debate,” said GOP consultant Ron Bonjean. “Most Americans still mainly care about the economy, jobs and national security.”

___

NEXT IN CONGRESS

Three congressional committees are making inquiries, including the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which wants a briefing from Nucatola.

Planned Parenthood has not said she would appear. The committee chairman, Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., said in an interview that “at the end of the day, she’ll testify” — by appearing by subpoena if necessary. Hearings seem likely.

Numerous Republican lawmakers and presidential candidates say they want to eliminatePlanned Parenthood’s federal funding, which they have tried unsuccessfully before. That effort can fire up conservative voters and donors but stands little chance of surviving in the Senate or getting President Barack Obama’s signature. The fight could get ensnared in a possible budget battle this fall that might threaten another government shutdown.

Planned Parenthood’s most recent annual report says that of its $1.3 billion budget, $528 million comes from the government, though that includes some money from states.

“I look forward to anyone who wants to look into our policies and procedures.” Richards said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”

___

PLANNED PARENTHOOD AND THE LAW

Three federal laws are most frequently mentioned in arguments over whether illegality has occurred.

One bans for-profit sales of fetal tissue, but allows the provider to recover the procedure’s costs.

Nucatola and Gatter discuss potential prices for providing tissue. Nucatola mentions a range between $30 and $100 per procedure; Gatter discusses $75 but doesn’t rule out $100. Both sayPlanned Parenthood wants to cover costs and not profit.

Another law bars providers from changing “the timing, method or procedures” of abortions to recover fetal tissue for research.

Gatter mentions a “less crunchy” technique that can increase the chances of recovering intact organs and says she would not mind asking a Planned Parenthood surgeon to consider that. “They’re both totally appropriate techniques, there’s no difference in pain involved,” she says.

Nucatola says when a provider is attempting to recover an organ, “you’re just kind of cognizant of where you put your graspers” so “you’re not going to crush that part.” She also says, “You should always do the procedure the same, and that’s what the providers try to do.”

A third law bans a procedure that opponents call “partial-birth abortion,” in which a living fetus is partly extracted from the mother as it is aborted. Nucatola mentions that to avoid violating that ban, some doctors use the drug digoxin, which can be toxic to a fetus in sufficient amounts.

Separately, California’s attorney general, a Democrat who plans to run for the Senate in 2016, is investigating whether the group that made the videos violated registration or reporting requirements, or broke any other state rules.

___

DISAGREEMENT OVER WHETHER LAWS WERE BROKEN

Planned Parenthood says the videos show no illegal or improper actions, and that the group does not profit by providing tissue to researchers. Anti-abortion forces seem divided: Some say the doctors’ words show law-breaking; others don’t go that far.

“There’s smoke there,” says Right to Life’s Johnson, who wants the videos examined by “people with investigative authority.”

“The Weekly,” a publication by the anti-abortion Southern Baptist Convention, wrote recently thatPlanned Parenthood’s practices seem “sadly and shockingly legal,” and called for new laws.

Richards says fetal organ donation takes place in a handful of states and the tissue goes toward medical research.

“This is actually laudable that women and their families choose to make fetal tissue donations in order to potentially save the lives of other folks,” Richards said.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

]]>http://wavy.com/2015/07/28/no-sign-that-issue-of-planned-parenthood-videos-is-fading/feed/0Tue, 28 Jul 2015 21:42:52 +0000planned parenthoodjalvarezwertzPhotos: The White House reacts to 9/11http://interactives.wavy.com/photomojo/gallery/36534/1
http://interactives.wavy.com/photomojo/gallery/36534/1#commentsMon, 27 Jul 2015 19:31:02 +0000http://wavy.com/?p=164270]]>The U.S. National Archives has released new photos of the Bush Administration’s response to the terror attacks nearly 14 years ago.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced the selection of Fairfax County Circuit Judge Jane Marum Roush at a news conference. The appointment requires General Assembly confirmation, which does not appear to be an obstacle. The county’s 13-member legislative delegation, which includes both Democrats and Republicans, recommended Roush in a letter to McAuliffe in May.

The new justice will succeed LeRoy F. Millette Jr., who is retiring at the end of this month.

Roush is best known statewide as the judge in the 2003 trial of Lee Boyd Malvo, who is serving life in prison for his role in the sniper shootings that killed 10 people and wounded three others in D.C., Virginia and Maryland. The Virginia Supreme Court also chose her to preside in the ongoing case of Charles Severance, who is charged with killing three people in Alexandria, after judges in the city recused themselves.

“Judges and attorneys around the state know that if you have a difficult, complex, high-profile case, you want Judge Roush holding that gavel,” McAuliffe said. “She is known for her remarkable legal skills, her dignity and intelligence, which gives her a sure hand in the courtroom even under the most stressful circumstances.”

Roush said the chief justice of the Virginia Supreme Court will appoint another judge to take over the Severance case, which is expected to go to trial this fall.

Del. David Albo, R-Fairfax and chairman of the House Courts of Justice Committee, said Roush is “regarded as one of the best circuit court judges in the state.” Albo said the Democratic governor chose a judge “who is as nonpartisan as can be,” and he cannot imagine the legislature’s Republican majority objecting to the selection.

Virginia is one of two states in which the legislature elects all judges, but the appointment fell to McAuliffe because the General Assembly was not in session when Millette announced his retirement.

“I would prefer to have some super hard-core conservative on the bench, but that’s not possible,” Albo said. “She’s a really great, solid judge — the perfect person for appointment under these circumstances.”

Roush is a graduate of Wellesley College and the University of Virginia School of Law. She worked at the Washington-based law firm Hogan & Hartson before being elected to the bench in 1993.

___

Associated Press Writer Alan Suderman contributed to this report.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

“The panel’s decision establishes an unprecedented and opaque line between lawful politics and federal felonies,” McDonnell’s legal team said in its filing.

A jury in September found McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, guilty of doing favors for former Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams in exchange for more than $165,000 in gifts and loans.

The former Republican governor, once widely considered a possible running mate to former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, was sentenced in January to two years in prison. His wife was sentenced in February to one year and one day in prison. Both are free on bond while they pursue appeals.

Throughout the legal process, McDonnell has the favors he did for Williams were too insignificant to amount to an “official act” under federal bribery law. In the petition Friday, McDonnell’s legal team repeated those arguments. They said that by the standards set in the McDonnell case, the “President violates the federal bribery statutes whenever he invites donors to the White House Christmas Party.”

The former Republican governor’s attorneys also said McDonnell hadn’t been given enough opportunity to question whether any potential jurors had been influenced by the negative media stories surrounding his case.McDonnell’s lawyers said that by upholding the ruling, the appeals panel’s decision conflicts with previous legal precedent on jury selection.

Following the three-judge panel’s decision earlier this month, McDonnell’s options included asking the entire 4th Circuit to rehear his appeal or to try and take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“En banc” rehearings by the full appeals court are rarely granted.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Obama will travel to Pittsburgh to speak to the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ national convention on Thursday, the day after the U.N. Security Council unanimously endorsed the nuclear deal with Iran. After Pennsylvania, Obama will hop a quick flight to New York to tape one of Stewart’s final episodes after 16 years hosting the Comedy Central show.

On his first stop, Obama was to highlight a federal rule he’s finalizing on predatory lending and the military to make the case to the VFW that he’s working to make things better for America’s military families. Obama started off the week Monday signing a bill to allow all veterans to receive official IDs from Veterans Affairs even if they don’t meet certain criteria for VA services.

Obama’s appearance comes amid serious persisting problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has been under intense scrutiny for more than a year over waitlists and other shortcomings in the VA health system. Last week, the VA said it can’t count how many veterans died while waiting to sign up for health care, and may have to close some hospitals if Congress does not address a $2.5 billion shortfall.

The military community has also been on edge over the killing of four Marines and a sailor last week in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Obama has pledged a prompt and thorough investigation into an attack that authorities have blamed on a 24-year-old Kuwait-born man. On Monday, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said she authorized a review of security at National Guard installations and recruitment centers, and U.S. military officials have said security at recruitment centers should be reviewed.

At “The Daily Show,” where Stewart’s tenure ends Aug. 6, Obama will likely face questions about the nuclear deal he and world powers struck with Iran, to the dismay of Israel’s government, Republicans in Congress and even many Democrats. The White House is mounting a massive outreach campaign to try to win over skeptics and avert a congressional attempt to scuttle the deal, dispatching top officials daily to television shows and Capitol Hill. Obama’s appearance on the show will air Tuesday night.

The predatory lending rule, which the Obama administration publicly proposed last year, expands the categories of payday and short-term loans subject to added protections under the Military Lending Act. The White House said in the past, lenders have exploited loopholes in the regulations and targeted military members with exorbitant interest rates. The revised version will cover larger or longer-term payday loans, plus title loans, installment loans and credit cards, subjecting them to interest rate caps and other protections.

Abortion is a core issue for the conservative Republican base whose support Walker will seek as he tries to stand out in a crowded presidential field that also includes former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and billionaire Donald Trump.

While Walker has a long history of opposing abortions, it’s an issue where he could be targeted by rivals: Just nine months ago he ran a television ad during his gubernatorial re-election campaign where he expressed support for a bill that would leave abortion decisions between a woman and her doctor.

Walker’s record includes defunding Planned Parenthood; requiring abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, a law currently blocked by a federal court judge; and requiring women to have ultrasounds and be shown images of the fetus before having an abortion.

Walker last year, during his re-election campaign, refused to say last year whether he would support a 20-week abortion ban.

But in the face of questions from anti-abortion conservatives over his commitment to the issue in the light of the campaign ad, Walker in March came out in support of the 20-week abortion ban.

“The truth is that Scott Walker lied to Wisconsin voters when he was elected governor after saying that abortion is between a woman and her doctor,” said Sasha Bruce with NARAL Pro-Choice America, a leading abortion rights advocacy group. “Now, in an effort to win the votes of the extreme base of the Republican Party, Walker has traded the health and well-being of women and families to score cheap political points.”

The governor’s signature makes Wisconsin the 15th state to pass similar bans. There is no exception for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest.

The new law — which cleared the Legislature without any Democratic support — is expected to be challenged in court. Walker, speaking with reporters after the bill signing, said he was confident it would survive any legal challenge, calling the five-month ban a “reasonable standard.”

“For people, regardless of where they might stand, when an unborn child can feel pain I think most people feel it’s appropriate to protect that child,” Walker said.

But Kaylie Hanson, speaking for the Democratic National Committee, said the new law was nothing more than a “timely favor” for the Republican base days after Walker joined the presidential race.

“The harsh reality is that this law will hurt women, as it puts up barriers to care for rape and incest survivors – no exceptions – and threatens the health of the mother,” Hanson said in a statement. “This law doesn’t only undermine the most basic women’s health services. It’s radical, dangerous, and lacks respect for half the population of Wisconsin.”

Bans on abortion after 20 weeks are popular, at least on the surface. A Quinnipiac University poll conducted in November of 2014 found that 6 in 10 Americans support banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases of rape or incest.

On the other hand, a 2012 CNN/ORC poll found the vast majority of Americans — more than 8 in 10 — said abortion should be legal in cases of rape or incest.

An Associated Press-GfK poll conducted in January and February found that 51 percent of Americans think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 45 percent think it should be illegal in most or all cases.

Under the new Wisconsin law, doctors who perform an abortion at or after 20 weeks in non-emergency situations could be charged with a felony punishable by up to $10,000 in fines and 3½ years in prison. Doctors could also be sued for damages.

Doctors would be allowed to perform abortions beyond 20 weeks only if the mother is likely to die or suffer irreversible injuries within 24 hours.

The law’s supporters say fetuses can feel pain after 20 weeks. They say the ban will spare those unborn children an excruciatingly painful death. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, however, says fetuses can’t feel pain until the third trimester starts at 27 weeks. Minority Democrats have complained that Republicans should leave women alone and let them decide how to handle their own bodies.

Abortions after 20 weeks are rare in Wisconsin. According to the most recent state Department of Health Services information, 89 of nearly 6,500 abortions performed in Wisconsin in 2013, or roughly 1 percent, occurred after the 20-week mark.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision established a nationwide right to abortion but allowed states to restrict the procedures after the fetus reaches viability, the point where it could survive outside the womb. The ruling offered no legal definition of viability but said it could range from the 24th to 28th week of pregnancy.

Courts have blocked bans in Georgia, Idaho and Arizona. Litigation in other states is ongoing. A federal appellate court in May struck down Arkansas’ ban on abortions after the 12th week of pregnancy if a doctor can detect a fetal heartbeat, finding that prohibition unconstitutionally burdens women.

]]>http://wavy.com/ap/gop-presidential-hopeful-walker-to-sign-abortion-ban-bill/feed/0Tue, 21 Jul 2015 15:46:07 +0000Scott WalkerlinamandajoyalMaureen McDonnell’s appeal arguments planned for the fallhttp://wavy.com/2015/07/17/maureen-mcdonnells-appeal-arguments-planned-for-the-fall/
http://wavy.com/2015/07/17/maureen-mcdonnells-appeal-arguments-planned-for-the-fall/#commentsSat, 18 Jul 2015 03:27:50 +0000http://wavy.com/?p=148297]]>(WAVY) — 10 On Your Side had confirmed former Virginia First Lady Maureen McDonnell will have her appeal heard in Richmond later this year.

A judge sentenced McDonnell to one year and one day in federal prison for the public corruption scandal involving her and her husband. She’s been allowed to stay out of prison during the appeals process.

Arguments in Marueen’s appeal will be heard between October 27 and 29.

An appeals court denied Former Governor Bob McDonnell’s appeal last week. He has until next week to ask another panel to review that.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WAVY) — The Senate passed a bill Thursday that was authored in part by Sen. Tim Kaine, who wanted to emphasize the importance of teaching safe relationship behavior well before kids turn 18.

Kaine said this is a really important piece of legislation, as they’ve been spending a lot of time in the Senate addressing the problems of sexual assaults on college campuses, in the military, and in the workforce. But not everyone is singing the newly-passed bill’s praises.

Kaine said the idea for the Every Child Achieves Act came out of a December 2014 meeting he had at the University of Virginia to listen to students’ recommendations for preventing campus sexual assault.

“Sometimes, those of us that are policy makers in our mid 50’s, we’re trying to make policies that affect young people, but we may have lost touch with what it’s like to be an 18 or 19-year-old away from home,” Kaine said. “The students really felt like they just weren’t equipped when they were suddenly on their own for the first time with the tools they needed to prevent sexual assaults.”

Under the bill, all schools that apply for Title IV funding would be required to report how they’re educating students about safe relationship behavior during health education programs. Kaine fully anticipated the bill passing on Thursday.

“We need to equip students with strategy, to let them know dangerous behaviors to spot, to let them know what consent is, what undue pressure is,” Kaine said. “The education community has really embraced this. This isn’t another one of those things where we’re getting push back from school systems saying don’t give us another federal mandate.”

But Congressman Bobby Scott released this statement about the bill’s 87-17 passing:

While today’s Senate passage of the Every Child Achieves Act (S.1177) moves us one step closer toward our collective goal of fixing No Child Left Behind, the bill remains unworthy of the President’s signature. The Every Child Achieves Act fails to require state and school district action to close persistent achievement gaps and graduate all students—regardless of race, income, disability, or language status—ready for college and career.

I commend Senator Murray and the Democratic caucus for fighting to improve the bill on the Senate floor. I am committed to fighting alongside her and the President, as we work with our colleagues across the aisle in conference, to advance student-centered policy solutions that both fulfill the ESEA’s civil rights legacy and move public education forward.

Kaine said the House has passed its own version of a no-child-left-behind rewrite that’s different and doesn’t include the language about teaching safe relationships. They’ll have to hammer out a final version over the next several months.

]]>http://wavy.com/2015/07/16/senate-signs-bill-that-could-help-prevent-campus-sexl-assaults/feed/0Tue, 21 Jul 2015 12:48:17 +0000Anita Blanton on campus sex assaultswavyanitablantonLt. gov has raised $340,000-plus for Va. gubernatorial bidhttp://wavy.com/2015/07/16/lt-gov-has-raised-340000-plus-for-va-gubernatorial-bid/
http://wavy.com/2015/07/16/lt-gov-has-raised-340000-plus-for-va-gubernatorial-bid/#commentsThu, 16 Jul 2015 10:20:31 +0000http://wavy.com/?p=147359]]>RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday that he has raised more than $341,000 for a gubernatorial bid and more than $114,000 for a political action committee aimed at helping his fellow Democrats retake the state Senate.

“Virginians are responding to our message of protecting women’s reproductive rights and expanding Medicaid while seeing our results of creating 3,000 more pre-K spots for children of low-income families and streamlining mental health care and crisis response,” Northam said in a statement touting his fundraising totals since April.

Northam is the first major potential gubernatorial candidate in 2017 to open a campaign account dedicated to that race. His biggest donor is Michael Bills, a Charlottesville investor who gave $50,000. Other major donors include Macon Brock Jr., the co-founder of K and K Toys and Dollar Tree, and G. Gilmer Minor III, the former chief executive of Owens & Minor Inc.

A practicing physician in Norfolk, Northam said in a statement that he has spent recent months “operating a statewide effort to take back the Virginia Senate majority.”

Those efforts have included recruiting Democratic candidate Jill McCabe, who is challenging Republican Sen. Dick Black, and headlining events for Democratic candidates around the state. Northam said his leadership PAC has given $50,000 to the state party.

After a Democratic state senator abruptly resigned last summer, Republicans took control of the upper chamber. Democrats need to win one additional seat in November’s election to win back control. DemocraticGov. Terry McAuliffe has made retaking the state senate a top priority and reported raising about $1 million since April.

Attorney General Mark Herring, a potential Democratic rival to Northam for the top of the 2017 ticket, reportedraising nearly $224,000 for his political action committee since April and reported spending about $100,000.

Adam Zuckerman, a spokesman for Herring’s PAC, noted that Herring has had to retire about $1 million in debt related to a recount fight over his 2013 election. Zuckerman said that with the recount debt behind it, Herring’s PAC will be active in helping Democrats retake the Senate, pick up seats in the GOP-controlled House and in critical local races around the state.

Republican Sen. Mark Obenshain, who is often mentioned as a possible GOP gubernatorial candidate, reportedraising $23,000 for his senate re-election campaign since April.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.